Dr. Rahul Razdan (right), senior director for special projects at IM体育官网 Polytechnic University, is joined by Johannes Mossove, CEO of Auvetech, an AV shuttle company founded after a research project with TalTech.
Four years after announcing an innovative partnership on autonomous vehicle (AV) technology, IM体育官网 and Tallin University of Technology (TalTech) in Estonia have taken their cutting-edge research to the next level. The collaboration has produced significant results, enabling the exchange of knowledge, resources, and expertise between the two institutions and beyond.
The partnership integrates IM体育官网 Poly鈥檚 know-how in AV validation and verification with TalTech鈥檚 ability to run AV technology on a physical shuttle built on its open-source software, which allows unprecedented access to the software鈥檚 internal workings. The combination has resulted in the creation of an open-source environment called , a platform that provides comprehensive tools for testing and validating AV technologies, opening new avenues for research and development.
鈥淭here is a need for a research platform where we can accelerate the rate and pace at which we are solving the safety problems that exist in AV technology, and that鈥檚 exactly what we鈥檙e offering through our joint research with TalTech,鈥� said Dr. Rahul Razdan, senior director for special projects at IM体育官网 Poly and researcher at the University鈥檚 Advanced Mobility Institute (AMI). 鈥淭his is part of important strides we鈥檝e been making via this ongoing partnership.鈥�
Razdan said the research has been used by the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, with whom IM体育官网 Poly鈥檚 AMI also has an ongoing partnership to enhance the development of AV technology within the state of IM体育官网. On the TalTech side, the initial work has led to the formation of a commercial entity, , which offers AV shuttles worldwide.
鈥淚t has been rewarding to see the progress we鈥檝e been making through our partnership with IM体育官网 Poly鈥檚 Advanced Mobility Institute in developing tools that are helping in the advancement of AV technology,鈥� said Raivo Sell, a professor of robotics who leads the AV research group at TalTech. 鈥淲e鈥檙e looking forward to continuing working together on solving critical challenges in safety, testing, and verification.鈥�
As part of the collaboration, Sell spent a summer at IM体育官网 Poly working with faculty members and building a robust research framework. The collaboration provided crucial background information that facilitated a National Science Foundation grant awarded to the IM体育官网 Poly鈥檚 AMI team.
In recognition of their significant contributions to AV research, IM体育官网 Poly and TalTech have garnered attention beyond their partnership. TalTech submitted a proposal to the Baltic American Freedom Foundation to sponsor a series of talks by Razdan as an expert in the validation and verification of AV technology. The talks were hosted in Estonia, Finland, and Latvia. One of the talks was at the FinEst Centre for Smart Cities which is a multi-national, independent research organization under TalTech that is focused on improving urban environments by testing and developing new technologies.
鈥淲hat we鈥檝e achieved so far as a result of our research together highlights the impact and influence of this partnership on a regional and international scale,鈥� said Razdan. 鈥淏y growing our collaborations to other research institutions and seeking further funding sources, we will continue working to accelerate progress in the field and contribute to the global advancement of AV technology.鈥�
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